A monopod? Really?

[BinocularSky]

Any recommendations on a replacement bino/tripod adapter Steve?

I use the Strathspey one (it's available under lots of other names, but Strathspey seems to be least expensive in the UK). Usually cheaper to get it from his eBay shop (unixnerd) than the Strath web site.

[vvsloan]

I must admit after I bought my 15x70 bins I was adamant I wanted a tripod, both for similar reasons as you said, and also I really wanted to be able to be hands free (mainly with my little kids in mind, as in so I could run off instantly with out having to flap about wondering how/where to drop the bins and grab a wandering child should it be wandering out the gate onto the road/falling off high things/setting itself on fire etc..

However aftetr taking advice from Steve above, and thinking it through a bit more I went for the monopod (with trigger frip ball head) and I'm so, so glad I did. The stability you get from them is amazing (and really unexpected if you were looking at them from the angle that I was and you are from your initial post). Plus I can use it standing, sitting in a chair and even lying out on my sun-lounger under a sleeping bag with a cup of tea resting next to me on an overturned bucket

My yard is surrounded by buildings so I can easily move around to get to obscured bits of sky and have even hired a baby sitter for a couple of hours so I could wander the streets and find locations where I can see the parts of the sky that are completely obscured from my little house, surrounded on all sides by buildings. Could not do that with a tripod Plus, they're barely anything to them so it stays up in the corner of the room, the bins in their bag on the coat rack attached to the plate so if I suddenly want to, or theres a quick break in the clouds grab the pod, clip the bins on and I'm out observing in 30 seconds. If I just want a brief look at the sky for a few minutes I can hang out the kitchen door with them, no fuss.

(Also, a fraction of a thought further and I realised they're a million times more likely to get knocked over on a tripod with a 1 year old and a 3 year old running around than if I'm holding them at all times on a monopod:))

So yeah, try them, I bet you'll be just as surprised as I was at the level of stability they provide!

I got a great barely used 2nd hand Manfrotto 680b on ebay for £25, its the biz.

[Scooot]

I've just taken delivery of the Manfrotto 294 and a trigger grip ball head. Used it yesterday for the first time and a bit longer this evening. I found the added stability excellent. I haven't quite got used to looking high up with it as I can't create a steep enough angle, not whilst standing anyway, which is a surprise as I'm only 5'9". So I've resorted to sitting in a reclining garden chair but that involves lifting the monopod off the floor to look high up. Nevertheless it's still much better than holding them. It is also heavier than I imagined.

If the weather doesn't improve I'm going to be using my bins much more than my scope!

[BinocularSky]

I've resorted to sitting in a reclining garden chair but that involves lifting the monopod off the floor to look high up.

I made a crotch-level hole for the monopod in the recliner, but found it to be not a lot better and a whole lot more fiddly than just having the monopod down the side of the recliner just under the armpit. For very high altitude, I find hand-holding just as good because all the weight is taken by my head, which is supported by the recliner, so pretty still.

On the batphone, so expect weird autocorrect

[Joseki]

I've just taken delivery of the Manfrotto 294 and a trigger grip ball head. Used it yesterday for the first time and a bit longer this evening. I found the added stability excellent. I haven't quite got used to looking high up with it as I can't create a steep enough angle, not whilst standing anyway, which is a surprise as I'm only 5'9". So I've resorted to sitting in a reclining garden chair but that involves lifting the monopod off the floor to look high up. Nevertheless it's still much better than holding them. It is also heavier than I imagined.

If the weather doesn't improve I'm going to be using my bins much more than my scope!

I've been getting myself a bit confused about choosing sizes of a monopod.  I'm about average height (5'11" ish).  I would have thought for maximum flexibility of viewing it would be good to have the option of being stood up, with the joystick head at 90 degrees to the monopod (a bit extreme and not comfortable but then everything in between would then be okay).  For that I'd need a monopod with a maximum height in the range 170-180 maximum height?.  - just wondering whether this is right or not.  Scooot has a Manfrotto 294 which apparently has a maximum height of 151 cm, but is 171cm tall (eye height ~ 150-155cm?).

but then Scoot says:

I haven't quite got used to looking high up with it as I can't create a steep enough angle

is that an issue with it not enough height?

Near the horizon the head and adaptor add height (20-30cm?), but at a certain angle (depending on the length of the bins from mounting point to eyepieces) the eyepieces are going to be close to the height of the top of the monopod I guess.

As Steve said:

The problem I have with this in practice is the notion of  a single " correct height". As mounted binoculars are aimed higher, their eyepieces get lower, but as you look higher, your eyes get higher. With my most-used binocular, there is approx 30cm difference in monopod height between near horizon to near zenith.

Which is about the difference the adaptor and monopod head add on according to my guesstimate.

  It seems like a situation (astro bins) where the extra height might be worth it.  A Giottos monopod I came across has height to spare:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Giottos-GTMML-3290B-Section-Monopod/dp/B001AZ3UHY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1392335858&sr=1-1&keywords=Giottos+Monopod

which got a good general review (but not astro), here:

http://www.monopod.org.uk/monopod-reviews/review-giottos-mml-3290b

I guess I'll probably go with that just to be safe.  It gets generally good reviews on Amazon anyway.

[Scooot]

I've been getting myself a bit confused about choosing sizes of a monopod. I'm about average height (5'11" ish). I would have thought for maximum flexibility of viewing it would be good to have the option of being stood up, with the joystick head at 90 degrees to the monopod (a bit extreme and not comfortable but then everything in between would then be okay). For that I'd need a monopod with a maximum height in the range 170-180 maximum height?. - just wondering whether this is right or not. Scooot has a Manfrotto 294 which apparently has a maximum height of 151 cm, but is 171cm tall (eye height ~ 150-155cm?).

but then Scoot says:

is that an issue with it not enough height?

Near the horizon the head and adaptor add height (20-30cm?), but at a certain angle (depending on the length of the bins from mounting point to eyepieces) the eyepieces are going to be close to the height of the top of the monopod I guess.

As Steve said:

Which is about the difference the adaptor and monopod head add on according to my guesstimate.

It seems like a situation (astro bins) where the extra height might be worth it. A Giottos monopod I came across has height to spare:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Giottos-GTMML-3290B-Section-Monopod/dp/B001AZ3UHY/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1392335858&sr=1-1&keywords=Giottos+Monopod

which got a good general review (but not astro), here:

http://www.monopod.org.uk/monopod-reviews/review-giottos-mml-3290b

I guess I'll probably go with that just to be safe. It gets generally good reviews on Amazon anyway.

It's not just the height, the joy stick head doesn't bend 90°, I'd estimate more like 45°, (I have the same one as Steve ). So to get more steepness I have to angle the monopod towards me as well as have the joy stick fully bent. With the joy stick, binocular bracket and bins them self , the bins are slightly above my eye level, but not high enough to stand underneath if I could angle the joy stick 90°. A little bit more height would be a slight help but it wouldn't make a great deal of difference.

[Joseki]

Ok, thanks.  As I understand it Steve's got one of these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390765038838?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

which is a bit annoying if it won't bend more than 45 degrees as the photo shows it doing that.  For a bit more there's the Manfrotto 222.

[Scooot]

Ok, thanks.  As I understand it Steve's got one of these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/390765038838?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649

 

which is a bit annoying if it won't bend more than 45 degrees as the photo shows it doing that.  For a bit more there's the Manfrotto 222.

Yes mine's the same, I bought it here

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Original-Professional-Tripod-Head-Grip-WT011H-ACTION-BALL-TOP-QUALITY/251445236082?_trksid=p2047675.c100011.m1850&_trkparms=aid%3D222006%26algo%3DSIC.FITP%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20140107083358%26meid%3D4827377371160150109%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D20140107083358%26rk%3D0%26rkt%3D10%26sd%3D261370606348#ht_5754wt_958.

If you look near the bottom where the ball is you can see the fixing can only move a certain mount before its stopped by the ball. (difficult to explain, but you'd follow if you saw it). I'll stick a picture up when I get home tonight if you like. I bought the Manfrotto 294 because it was on offer on Amazon for about £30, the option of a little bit more height would have been nice with hindsight.

[BinocularSky]

Um, my trigger-grip head (which is the one you suggest, easily goes to 90 deg. If it doesn't . you need to rotate it so that the slot in the ball-housing is towards you. If it's not obvious what I mean, let me know, and I'll take a photo.

Edit: Looks like a photo might be necessary. Excuse lousy quality:

A rotates on B (squeeze trigger if you need to)

Rotate it so that the slot C is towards you.

[Scooot]

Um, my trigger-grip head (which is the one you suggest, easily goes to 90 deg. If it doesn't . you need to rotate it so that the slot in the ball-housing is towards you. If it's not obvious what I mean, let me know, and I'll take a photo.

Ah OK, that's good to know, sorry if I've misled everyone. There's no instructions so I just assumed I had it at the maximum. I'll try that when I get home, in which case a longer monopod would help.

[Joseki]

That's really helpful to know - as like I say I'm thinking about buying one myself.  I think I understand what you mean now - I've been checking out the photos on ebay in more detail.  The manfrotto 222 looks like it has a nice release mechanism for the mounting plate but it also looks exactly the same around it's base/ball, so probably not worth paying three times the price for me.  Price is definitely a consideration at the moment, and the 7day monopod is attractive, though I also want whatever I get to last for a long time.

[Joseki]

that last reply was to Scoot -

Thanks Steve for your reply too, I can see the slot on the ebay photos, glad to hear you can get the higher angles with it.

[BinocularSky]

That's really helpful to know - as like I say I'm thinking about buying one myself.  I think I understand what you mean now - I've been checking out the photos on ebay in more detail.  The manfrotto 222 looks like it has a nice release mechanism for the mounting plate but it also looks exactly the same around it's base/ball, so probably not worth paying three times the price for me.  Price is definitely a consideration at the moment, and the 7day monopod is attractive, though I also want whatever I get to last for a long time.

The Manfrotto 222 is better quality (more precisely engineered), but the one we are all getting is significantly better than "merely adequate".for our purposes.

The 7-Day monopod is good value, but the clamps work loose and are not adjustable; I found that mine started to slip after a year or so (pretty regular use). The Manfrotto and Giotto monopods are far better engineered and have adjustable clamps.

Just a thought: Would an illustrated instruction sheet for these trigger-grip heads be useful?

[Scooot]

Just a thought: Would an illustrated instruction sheet for these trigger-grip heads be useful?

It would certainly would have been useful to me. Who knows how long I would have carried on using it without realising it went to 90deg. Doh! Having said that using them seems so obvious.

[Joseki]

The Manfrotto 222 is better quality (more precisely engineered), but the one we are all getting is significantly better than "merely adequate".for our purposes.

The 7-Day monopod is good value, but the clamps work loose and are not adjustable; I found that mine started to slip after a year or so (pretty regular use). The Manfrotto and Giotto monopods are far better engineered and have adjustable clamps.

Just a thought: Would an illustrated instruction sheet for these trigger-grip heads be useful?

Ok,

thanks again.  It sounds like I'd be better getting the Giottos monopod (or similar) and the Camrock head.  I can't say how intuitive they are to use (for me, a beginner) as I don't have one yet.  As this thread shows, I would have  found a few words on choosing monopods for use with bins useful.  It seems a bit strange but the maximum heights aren't always advertised (on Amazon). 

I'm too wary of getting a cheap clone, but these heads on ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Joystick-H-2-Action-Ball-Head-Grip-Type-DLSR-For-Canon-Nikon-Sony/141172002028?_trksid=p5197.m2280&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D312%26meid%3D4830858690248158575%26pid%3D100068%26prg%3D1171%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D9%26sd%3D141172002028&_trksid=e100084.m1843

look very similar to the manfrotto 222's, but minus the badge and a lot cheaper.

[Scooot]

Ok,

thanks again.  It sounds like I'd be better getting the Giottos monopod (or similar) and the Camrock head.  I can't say how intuitive they are to use (for me, a beginner) as I don't have one yet.  As this thread shows, I would have  found a few words on choosing monopods for use with bins useful.  It seems a bit strange but the maximum heights aren't always advertised (on Amazon). 

 

I'm too wary of getting a cheap clone, but these heads on ebay http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Joystick-H-2-Action-Ball-Head-Grip-Type-DLSR-For-Canon-Nikon-Sony/141172002028?_trksid=p5197.m2280&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D312%26meid%3D4830858690248158575%26pid%3D100068%26prg%3D1171%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D9%26sd%3D141172002028&_trksid=e100084.m1843

 

look very similar to the manfrotto 222's, but minus the badge and a lot cheaper.

A bit more info for you. I went home at lunch time to have a better look. With the monopod fully extended and the binoculars sitting level,it measured 183 to the top of the eye pieces. The bins were sitting just above my head height so I had to pivot them to look through them. I could pivot to about 45deg fully standing but as I went beyond this I had to start to bend my knees,which obviously wouldn't be that comfortable. So to view high up whilst standing I need a lomger monopod or to rest it on something. So I'm going to try a brick or 2, thinking about this it might actually be easier to do this than to adjust the height of the monopod. I'll have to try it.

[Joseki]

Ok, thanks. That's useful to know.  I guess if you're sitting down (which might be more comfortable anyway) it's not an issue but I might as well get tall one for maximum flexibility.

[Scooot]

Um, my trigger-grip head (which is the one you suggest, easily goes to 90 deg.  

Edit: Looks like a photo might be necessary. Excuse lousy quality:

I have tried it and of course you're right it does go 90deg when rotated the right way, so thanks very much for pointing it out. I feel a bit of an idiot but thats not the 1st time and no doubt wont be the last. At least thanks to you I've realised now and not after months or years of using them. :-)

[BinocularSky]

  I feel a bit of an idiot

Don't beat yourself up over it. The things come with out instructions (and if  Weifeng Ningbo did include English-language instructions, I doubt they'd be human-readable anyway -- case in point: the Manfrotto clone eBay link that Joseki posted above, labelling the bubble level as a "relay")

The purpose of a forum like this is so that we amateurs can help each other. To that end, I think I will put together an instruction sheet for the Weifeng trigger-grip. Watch this space.

[vvsloan]

Just a thought: Would an illustrated instruction sheet for these trigger-grip heads be useful?

Would have definately helped me oout a bit when I bought mine. I still have an issue with how tight/stable the L bracket is on the plate. I have the same trigger grip ball head and a Strathspey L bracket and even though it is fastened to the plate as tight as it can be, I still have an issue with the bracket being prone to rotating on the plate (ie seemingly not fastened tight enough). Also, why does the screw have the leeway to move accross the plate a couple of centimetres, if you know what I mean? Again I have an issue of the bracket moving left and right a bit in the gap made for the screw?  Not massively major issues but annoying all the same. Am I doing something wrong with it all?

[BinocularSky]

Right, version 1.0 (beta)    is uploaded. Go to http://binocularsky.com and find it under the "Choosing and Using" tab (Trigger-Grip Manual). I've done it as a PDF to make it easier to print, distribute, etc.

I still have an issue with the bracket being prone to rotating on the plate

Vic, you probably just need to tighten the screw more -- I have my much heavier 15x70 on the same plate and adaptor, and it's just like this.

[vvsloan]

Right, version 1.0 (beta)    is uploaded. Go to http://binocularsky.com and find it under the "Choosing and Using" tab (Trigger-Grip Manual). I've done it as a PDF to make it easier to print, distribute, etc.

Vic, you probably just need to tighten the screw more -- I have my much heavier 15x70 on the same plate and adaptor, and it's just like this.

I guess I must be weaker than I already thought I was...

[Joseki]

The last piece of my bins kit arrived today - the Camrock head.  With the Giottos 3290B it's a great fit and works up to 90deg elevation (with a little bit of spare length in the monopod), no stooping required.  Steve's guide to adjusting the Camrock head was very handy as it was too stiff to use out of the box - so thank-you Steve!

[BinocularSky]

- so thank-you Steve!

One does one's meagre best...